This sort of connector with a slide-type cam member is configured like the connectors disclosed in Japanese UM Publication No. 6-11275 and No. 6-54255, for example, so that the housing can be completely engaged with the housing of a mating connector by sliding or moving the cam member from a first and open position, from which the cam member can be connected with the housing of the mating connector that is in a temporarily engaged position, to the closed position, whereby the cam member is moved into a position at which it completely engages with the housing of the mating connector.
In order to correctly carry out the task of connection with a mating connector, it is preferable that the worker is able to quickly verify that the cam member has moved completely to the closed position. However, with the conventional connectors that are provided with a cam member, it has been difficult for workers to confirm whether or not the cam member has completely moved to the closed position. Consequently, performing the connection has been difficult, and there was also a high probability that the connection ended without the cam member sliding to the closed or connected position. In particular, there have been cases, depending on the technical field, such that the worker groped around to make the two connectors connect and this made it all the more difficult for the worker to verify that the cam member had moved to the completely closed position.
In view of the situations described above, the object of this invention is to provide a connector with a cam member that enables the worker to quickly and correctly verify that the slide-type cam member was moved to the completely closed or connected position and that the connection with the mating connector was properly made.
An electrical connector assembly is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,596,771 and comprises first and second connector housings and a camming slide for mating and unmating the housings. The first housing has flanges extending from the mating face thereof and has slots in the flanges which receive cam followers on the cam slide. The second housing has cam tracks in its sidewalls which also receive the cam follows. The camming slide has a web which is spaced from the rear face of the second housing and arms which extend from the web across the sidewalls of the second housing and which overlap the flanges on the first housing. The cam followers project from the internal surfaces of the arms and extend through the slots and are dimensioned to be received in the camming slots on the second housing. Recessed surfaces are located an the inner surfaces of the arms and projections are provided at left hand ends of the recesses which ride over projections on the flanges thereby retaining the camming slide in position when the housings are at a mated condition.
An electrical connector housing assembly is also disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,244,400 which comprises a male housing, a female housing in which the male housing is movably fitted, a cam member is movably fitted on the female housing so that the cam member can be moved relative thereto in order to fasten both housings together, and a detecting member being provided on the cam member and the female housing for detecting whether both housings are completed mated to each other.
In order to achieve the aforementioned objective, a connector assembly with a cam member of the present invention comprises connectors whose housings can be completely engaged by sliding a slide-type cam member attached to one of the housings from a first position to a closed position, wherein the cam member is provided with a resilient latch, which is positioned outsides of the housing. When the cam member has been moved to the closed position, the latch member has a first surface that extends in a direction nearly parallel to the direction in which the cam member slides and is resiliently deformable in a direction nearly perpendicular to the direction of sliding, The housing is also provided with a latch section, which has a second surface that extends in a direction nearly parallel to the direction of sliding. The resilient latch member is provided with a protrusion, and it bends and deforms in a direction nearly perpendicular to the resilient latch member as it engages against the latch section when the cam member is slid from the first position to the closed position; the latch section is provided with a hole or aperture that receives the protrusion when the cam member is moved to the closed position, thereby causing the resilient latch member to be restored to its original state. The second surface of the latch section is provided at a position when it will produce an audible sound when it comes into contact with the first surface of the resilient latch member when it has been restored to its original state.
During the use of a connector with the cam member of this invention, when the slide-type cam member is moved from the first position to the closed position, the first surface of the resilient latch and the second surface of the latch section will come into contact with each other and make an audible sound when the resilient latch member is restored to its original state. Consequently, the worker who performs the task of connecting the connector with a mating connector will be able to quickly and accurately verify that the cam member has moved to the closed position by listening to hear whether or not the audible sound was produced. Due to the resilient latch member and latch section being provided in positions on the outside of the housings, the audible sound propagates well, and the worker can easily verify that the audible sound was produced. In addition, because a vibration is transmitted in the housings and cam member when the first surface makes contact with the second surface of the resilient latch member of the latch section, the worker can verify that the cam member has moved to the closed position by feeling the vibration with his hand, along with hearing the audible sound.